The Best Man
by Spnchick09
Summary: He was the best man at their wedding. Years later, he's playing the role of the groom. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own 7th Heaven, nor do I own anything affiliated with it in any way.

**Author's Note: **This one-shot is inspired by a song. I won't be using the lyrics, but I got the idea for this from them. Also, Martin/Ruthie fans, do NOT stop reading right at the beginning. You'll see what I mean. Plus, if you know me well enough, my stories generally aren't too difficult to figure out. ;) Hope you enjoy.

* * *

A white, lacy pattern was before her eyes, as she slowly walked towards him. A smile on her face, she got closer to the altar with each gliding step she took. 

Her husband-to-be was smiling as well, awaiting his bride's arrival. Their eyes were locked, refusing to part from the gaze they held. Lucy, serving as the maid of honor, watched the young bride get closer and closer as the wedding march proceeded to play.

The best man, however, was looking towards the ground. He desperately tried to hide both the sadness and disgust in his eyes, yet it was impossible. Tears threatened to fall, yet he quickly wiped them away, making it look as though he'd been pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off a headache.

He returned his eyes to her, the woman he was supposed to be with. However, she was walking to another man; his best friend, in fact. All he could see was the shaggy, blonde hair seemingly displaced on the back of his head; yet he knew, unfortunately, that the blonde was smiling.

Martin sighed. He had surprised himself by coming to this wedding, what with the triangle it seemed to present. Mac was marrying Ruthie. For Martin, it was supposed to end up completely differently.

_"He's using you."_

_Her steely gaze reprimanded his words. "You don't know that."_

_"Yes, I do."_

_Her eyes slightly rolled, pulling another curler out of her hair. "Shut up."_

_Martin dryly chuckled, sitting on her bed. "I just don't want you to get hurt."_

_Ruthie turned violently from her mirror, her free curls swaying to her shoulders. "I won't get hurt. I can take care of myself. Shouldn't you be back in San Francisco taking care of your son?"_

_Martin's agape mouth shut, his jaw clenched. "That's different."_

_She rolled her eyes again, returning her eyes to the mirror. "I don't see how."_

_"It just is. Besides, I know some things you don't."_

_"Like what?"_

_"Like the fact that he only wants a date to prom."_

_"That's not for months. I hardly think he'd use me for that. And besides, he's a freshman in college, just like you. Wouldn't **I** have to use **him** as a date to prom?" she pointed out, furiously grabbing at a curler._

_"Mac tries to get in to any prom he can. By the way, you still have a curler in..."_

_"I know!" she grunted, desperately trying to yank it out of her tangled hair._

_Martin smiled to himself, standing behind her as he lightly began removing strands of hair in hopes of untangling the tube._

_She sighed, folding her hands in her lap as she watched him in the mirror._

_"I'm glad you're looking out for me, but you don't need to worry. I think he might actually have feelings for me," she said, a smile lighting her expression._

_Martin couldn't help but feel jealous. He wanted to be with Ruthie, but he never had the chance to tell her._

_Until now._

_"Ruth," he whispered, pulling the curler out and handing it to her._

_"Yeah?" she asked, watching him in the mirror and taking the curler from his grasp._

_He knelt down to face her, her eyes shifting from the mirror to him._

_"Please don't go on this date," he whispered._

_Ruthie's brows furrowed into confusion, staring back at the nineteen year old before her._

_"I've already told you. I'm going."_

_Martin sighed, taking her small hands in his. "Please," he begged._

_Ruthie's eyes were glued to his thumbs stroking hers. "Wh-why can't I go?" she stuttered._

_"Because I love you," he whispered, smiling._

_Ruthie sighed. "You shouldn't have said that."_

_His smile faded away. "What do you mean?"_

_"I've gotten over you," she lied._

_Martin shook his head. "No, you haven't."_

_Ruthie looked into his burning gaze. "Yes, I did. And I'm going on this date with Mac."_

_Martin's heart stung with pain. "He's going to end up hurting you. He may not do it now, or for months, but one of these days, he's going to put you through more pain than you can imagine."_

_She snickered, standing up. "I'd rather go out with him, than with someone who has a one-year old at home that hardly sees him."_

_Martin stood, running a hand through his hair. "Would you quit bringing that up?"_

_"No!" she refuted. "I won't quit bringing it up! Your son needs to see you once in a while."_

_"I still visit him!"_

_"Once every few months doesn't count!"_

_"I don't enjoy seeing Sandy, Ruth. You know that."_

_"I don't care!" she cried. "Aaron still needs a father figure, and the fact that you're not there just because you can't tolerate Sandy isn't good enough of a reason to stay out of his life."_

_Martin rolled his eyes, starting for the door. "Fine, go on this stupid date. I hope he breaks your heart."_

_"Impossible. You've already taken care of that."_

_He gave her one last stare, watching her brown eyes melt at his gaze. "You're lying to me," he growled._

_She didn't respond, and jumped as he slammed the door behind him._

He sighed, remembering the fight they'd had almost six years ago. They'd eventually forgiven each other, but their relationship had been severely mangled. They could hardly be in the same room anymore.

"I do."

He heard Ruthie say the two little words that meant everything. She was marrying him. Martin watched her, staring into her chocolate irises as he tried to read the emotions in them.

He saw adoration, a look that couldn't deny she had feelings for Mac. Unfortunately, that look was supposed to be for him.

At least, in his mind it was meant for him.

He watched as their vows were said, and cringed when they were presented to the audience. He forced a smile as the young couple ran down the aisle towards the back, and linked elbows with Lucy as they followed behind the newlyweds.

"I'm sorry," he heard Lucy whisper.

He sighed, struggling to maintain his smile. "It's okay. I'll be alright."

_He hung up his phone in anger. Sliding onto the couch behind him, he rested his head in his hands, trying to keep the sobs from escaping._

_She was marrying him._

_Ruthie had called to inform him that Mac had proposed. While he knew Mac planned on the proposition, he hadn't planned on Ruthie saying yes._

_It was almost too much._

_The phone beside him began to ring again, and he furiously picked it up._

_"What?" he sneered._

_"She said yes!"_

_Martin immediately tried to sound happy, hoping it would be able to convince Mac._

_"I'm happy for you, dude. When's the wedding?"_

_"We haven't decided," he replied. "But I want you to be my best man."_

_Martin felt his heart sink, closing his eyes. "I'm supposed to be the groom."_

_"What?"_

_Martin's eyes shot open, realizing he'd voiced his thoughts. "Nothing. I said I'd be happy to do it."_

_"Great!" Mac exclaimed. "I'll tell you when as soon as we set a date, okay bud?"_

_"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's, uh..." he stammered._

_"I've got to go. Ruthie has to call Matt and Mary."_

_"Okay. Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye."_

_He threw the phone at the wall across from him, watching as it shattered into hundreds of pieces._

_"Damn it!" he cursed._

"I told you, I don't want children."

"Why, Mac? Why don't you want children?"

"I just don't, Ruthie. It's not something that I'm cut out for."

Ruthie's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? When we got married, you said you couldn't wait until the day we had children."

Mac shrugged. "Things have changed," he replied, continuing to type up a paper.

"Yeah, like the fact that you're married to your career."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mac asked, tearing his eyes away from his computer.

"Mac, I love you. But when you started this law firm, the romance in our marriage went out the door."

He sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I just don't want kids. For now, at least."

She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "We've only been married a year. You realize that?"

Mac shrugged, giving her an odd look. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"After a year of marriage, we're already fighting about how you don't want children."

"I still don't see your point."

"I'm pregnant."

Mac's typing stopped.

"What?"

"I said..."

"No, I heard you," he muttered, lowering his head into his hands.

"I know you don't want this, but I really do. We can get..."

"Ruthie, I'm just not ready."

"Will you ever be?" she questioned, throwing her hands in the air.

He was silent, looking into her eyes. He watched her fold her arms across her chest and stare him down, waiting for him to answer her.

"I guess I'll have to be, won't I?"

She cracked a weak smile, walking over and kissing him. "I guess that'll have to do. I'll go start dinner."

_"How's the marriage?" Martin asked._

_Ruthie grinned. "It's going great. Mac just opened up a law firm..."_

_"Yeah, he told me about that," Martin cut in._

_"I'm sure he did. I keep forgetting that you still keep in touch with him."_

_He'd bumped into her at the supermarket, and the two had struck up a friendly conversation. He thought he'd gotten over her._

_Boy, was he wrong._

_"Yeah, we still talk occasionally."_

_"How's Aaron?" she asked._

_Martin acted as though he'd been stabbed in the chest. "Sandy, uh...she moved."_

_"With Aaron?"_

_He nodded. "She didn't tell me. I didn't even get to tell him goodbye," he said quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets._

_Ruthie sighed. "Were you trying to develop a relationship with him?" she asked._

_He shrugged. "Yeah. Apparently, Sandy didn't think so. She moved off out east. I still talk to him on the phone, but it isn't the same, you know?"_

_She nodded, offering a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll get to see him for holidays or something."_

_Martin snickered. "Yeah, not while Sandy's alive." _

_Silence filled the space between them, and she looked down at her watch, gasping. "Crap, I've got to go, Martin. I'll see you soon, okay? Maybe you and Mac and I can go out to dinner or something."_

_He nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."_

_"Good," she smiled, turning around and heading for the checkouts._

Rain poured onto the roof, keeping him awake. The television cast a blue glow throughout the bedroom of his apartment, yet he wasn't really watching it.

He'd tried to call Mac and work something out for a dinner. However, every time he'd called, Mac was never there.

Ruthie had given birth to a baby boy five months ago, and the two had named him William Patrick Evans.

He'd been there for the birth, and had looked down on the young boy. He was beautiful, he had to admit. Maybe there was a reason Mac and Ruthie had married.

Martin was stirred from his thoughts by an almost unheard knock at his door. He looked down at his watch, his eyes beginning to dance with confusion when he saw that it was almost midnight. He stood, wearing nothing but a pair of baseball boxers, and walked to the front door.

To his surprise, Ruthie was standing on his doorstep. Her face was stained with tears, a small bundle of blue blankets in her arms.

"Can I...?"

Martin, still shocked by her arrival, hurriedly ushered her in. He took the young boy from her arms, holding him with one arm and putting his other arm around her shoulders. He led her to the small living room of his apartment. She sat on the couch, burying her face in her hands, while he sat down beside her and looked down at the young boy sleeping in his arms.

He forced himself not to talk. He told himself not to ask questions, reasoning that she'd explain when she was ready.

"We're getting divorced," she whispered.

Martin sighed, resting his head on the back of the couch. "God..." he breathed, closing his eyes.

She sobbed quietly, her shoulders shaking as she continued to explain. "He said he never wanted Will. I knew that...I'm so stupid!" she sobbed.

"Hey," he whispered. "You're not stupid, Ruth."

She sniffled, raising her teary eyes to his gaze. She weakly smiled, before saying, "You're the only man that's ever called me that."

"Called you what?" he asked.

"Ruth. Mac always called me Ruthie."

"It's a habit."

"I know. I love it," she grinned.

Martin returned the grin, watching as her smile faded away.

"You want to talk?" he asked her.

She nodded, remaining silent for a few more minutes. "We've been fighting lately. After Will was born, he and I started to become even more distant. I was hoping we'd become closer, but we just grew farther apart. I confronted him a few days ago, and he walked out."

"Walked out? As in...?"

"Left. Left us. We were okay for a while, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I stayed, hoping he'd come back, but he didn't."

Martin sighed, his heart aching for the twenty-five year old sitting beside him. So young, and she was already dealing with pain of a large magnitude.

"I should've seen it coming. This shouldn't be so difficult," she whispered.

"What are you talking about? You can't ever see something like this coming."

"He didn't go to one appointment with me. When Will was born, he immediately had to fly out for some case in Florida. When I got home with Will, he hardly helped. He never wanted Will. He still doesn't. So he's leaving me."

Martin pulled her into a one-armed hug. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's not your problem."

"It's not yours either," he reminded her. "It's Mac's. He's my best friend, and I love him to death, but I can't believe he'd just leave like that."

Ruthie shrugged. "He did. That's all there is to it."

"I have a crib from the last time you visited. You want to lay him down?" he asked.

Ruthie nodded, wiping her nose with the back of her hand and taking Will from his arms. "Yeah, I'll go do that."

He quickly went to his bedroom, throwing on a t-shirt and shutting off the T.V. When he walked back out, she was already sitting on the couch.

"I thought you'd notice."

"Notice what?"

"That all you had on were boxers," she blushed.

Martin chuckled. "Yeah, I noticed. Thirsty?"

"Water's fine," she nodded.

He made his way to the small kitchen, hurriedly pouring two glasses of water. He walked back out, handing a cup to her, and sat back down beside her.

"Can I ask you something?" he questioned.

"Sure," she replied, setting her glass on a coaster.

"Why didn't you go to your parents' house?"

She smiled. "Telling them that my marriage is over in the middle of the night doesn't exactly sound appealing. Plus, I've never been a fan of thunderstorms, and I needed to be with someone. You were closest."

He nodded, laying back into the couch. "I'm here for you. Anything you need," he promised.

She smiled. "I know that. That's why I came to you."

_The two had gone out for a friendly dinner, leaving Will in the care of Eric and Annie for the evening. It had been eight months since Mac had walked out, and six months since their divorce had been finalized. He was driving towards her parents' home, so they could pick up Will and head back to Martin's apartment. She'd been living with Martin for the past eight months, and her parents had been fine with it._

_"Thank you," he heard her say._

_"For what?" he asked._

_"Taking me out. I really needed it."_

_He smiled to himself. "You're welcome."_

_"Can you...can you pull over real quick? Or into a parking lot or something?" she asked._

_Martin, bewildered by her request, agreed and pulled into a hotel parking lot. "What's up?" he asked._

_"Do you still have feelings for me?" she asked._

_"What?"_

_"You heard me."_

_Martin was quiet, contemplating his answer. His head began to slowly rise and fall, growing more confident with time. "Yeah, I do. I really do."_

_He kept his eyes in front, gripping the steering wheel even though he wasn't driving. He listened as she turned in her seat and turned to face her. She was smiling, and hopefully, that would be a good sign._

_"Good answer," she said quietly._

_Martin's grin appeared, the sadness that had occupied his eyes for years quickly disappearing. He was silent, smiling even wider internally as she leaned in towards him. Their lips met, and the kiss that Martin had waited on for years finally came. His body tingled with the sense of her touch, and his mind went haywire. He had to have been dreaming. After all, fairy tale endings only came in movies._

_They slowly pulled away, and Martin couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "We should, uh..."_

_"Oh, yeah. My parents will wonder where we are," Ruthie nodded, putting her seatbelt back on._

They'd begun dating five years ago, and now at age thirty-three, Martin was finally engaged to Ruthie Camden. He'd be marrying her in a month, and he'd never been happier.

"Martin!"

"What?" he asked, looking up from his book.

She walked into his bedroom in a pair of sweatpants and a USC sweatshirt, with her hair pulled up into a messy bun.

"Have you figured out who your best man is yet?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Martin grinned. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

Ruthie returned the smile. "You have mentioned that before."

"No, I haven't asked him yet," he replied.

"Asked who?"

"It's a surprise," he chuckled.

Ruthie playfully rolled her eyes. "Alright. Just tell me when you get an answer from him," she requested, walking back towards the kitchen.

"Will!"

Will ran into the bedroom, jumping up onto the bed beside Martin.

"Yeah?"

"You know how your mom and I are getting married?" he asked.

Will nodded. "Yep."

"Well, I'd like to ask you to be my best man."

The small, blonde boy looked up to his stepfather. "What's a best man?"

Martin chuckled. "Well, it's the man that stands beside me when I marry your mom," he answered.

The six year old shrugged. "I guess I could do it."

"Can you go get your mom for me?"

Will nodded, dashing off the bed and yelling for his mom. A few moments later, she appeared in the doorway.

"What?" she asked.

"I have a best man."

Ruthie's eyes danced with confusion. "Who?"

"Will's going to do it," he answered.

Ruthie smiled. "Okay. Lucy will have a fun time walking him down the aisle," she chuckled, turning to leave.

"Hey," he said quietly.

She turned to face him again. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

She grinned, walking to the bed and sitting beside him. "I love you, too."

"You know what I realized?" he said, kissing her forehead.

"What?"

"That being the groom at your wedding is much more appealing than being the best man."


End file.
